Michael Peña in Negotiations for Role in Ridley Scott's The Martian

Michael Peña is currently in talks to join Ridley Scott's upcoming space-bound film, The Martian, based on the novel by Andy Weir.

The Martian follows a NASA astronaut, Mark Watney, who is stranded on Mars when his crew is forced to leave him behind during a dust storm. Matt Damon will star as the titular Martian, while Kristen Wiig and Jessica Chastain were both rumored for significant roles, but only Chastain has been confirmed. She will presumably play Watney's commander, Melissa Lewis, who is guilt-stricken at leaving him behind. The book, Weir's first novel that was originally self-published before being picked up by Crown, has received some critical acclaim, and has been described as "Apollo 13 meets Cast Away."

Michael Peña is known for films such as Crash, Million Dollar Baby, End of Watch, and American Hustle. He will next appear in the upcoming war film Fury, starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, and The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal, as well as Marvel's Ant-Man, starring Paul Rudd.